5.3 Why Census Research Follows the Preliminary Survey

After a preliminary survey, the next step towards addressing the research question is to complete a census survey for each research subject. Generally, genealogy projects focus on one or two known family units or individuals who need to be connected to their family units going forward (spouse and children) and backward (parents and siblings).

Identifying census records covering the lifetime of each member of the family helps provide an overview of their life, hints at who they are connected to, and points to places with timelines that facilitate efficient research when seeking other records. Knowing where and when to look for a record makes it more likely the record will be identified quickly, so completing the census survey, while time-consuming, should actually save time and effort as the project goes forward. Strategically, because more recent census records are more detailed, the best tactic is to work backwards in time whenever possible. Sometimes it is not possible to work backwards. For example, if the only known information about the focus individual is the birthdate, the best strategy would be to work forward from the birthdate.